A new-style English curriculum may also lead to the introduction of distinct lessons in grammar and more rigorous reading lists covering Homer, Sophocles and Shakespeare amid fears too many pupils are “limited to a diet of John Steinbeck”.

The conclusions of the review had been expected in the new year, but wholesale reform of the curriculum will now be delayed by 12 months .

A final report by an expert panel is unlikely to be published until the end of 2012, with specifications in the core subjects to be introduced in 2014 rather than 2013.

The development is likely to prompt claims of disarray within the Department for Education. However, a Coalition source said the pause was necessary to create a “gold standard” curriculum that pushed children harder.

It comes just days after the publication of official primary school league tables showed that more than 50,000 of the brightest pupils are effectively going backwards between the age of seven and 11.

The source said: “This review is not simply a sticking plaster. We want to create a gold standard National Curriculum that survives longer than a government’s term of office. We want a high quality curriculum that is on a par with the best in the world.

“Our past is littered with rushed and poorly debated education reviews — with schools forced to change what they are doing with little time to prepare or consultation. The new timetable will mean this will not be allowed to happen again.”

On Monday, the review team, led by Tim Oates, director of research at Cambridge Assessment, will publish evidence gathered over the last year. This includes data comparing the existing curriculum to that used in countries such as Singapore, Hong Kong, Poland and parts of North America.

It will show how:

In Singapore, pupils are expected to master times tables and division by the age of nine compared with 11 in England, while secondary pupils are taught quadratic equations at 13 – at least a year before their English counterparts.

In Hong Kong, 10 year-olds are taught about plant and animal cells in science – a subject that English pupils leave until secondary school.

Many high-performing nations present grammar as a separate section of the curriculum and require pupils to meet distinct standards, while it is seen as an “add on” in this country.

Countries with “fast improving” education systems such as Poland have higher expectations in reading lists, including Homer, Sophocles and Shakespeare, while in England 90 per cent of GCSE answers are based on the same three books – Of Mice and Men, Lord of the Flies and To Kill a Mockingbird.

Government insiders say these examples will be an indicator of the standards to be set in English schools.

In another key development, pupils could be required to master key subject content before classes move on to the next stage — ensuring no child is left behind. It follows data showing that three quarters of pupils who lag at the age of seven never catch up by the age of 11.

Finally, experts will criticise secondary schools, raising fresh fears over the standard of GCSE syllabuses. It follows an investigation by The Daily Telegraph that prompted claims that competition between examination boards had triggered a “race to the bottom”.

Mr Oates said the review team had considered “a wealth of national and international evidence” but the work had highlighted fundamental issues for further discussion and analysis. “We need to create time for this discussion,” he said.